Sir, We would like to take this opportunity to report back on what the Vale of White Horse District Council has been doing over the last few months, and how we, as your district councillors, have been working for you locally. One of the most obvious tasks that the district council is to deal with planning applications, the most significant recent example of which is the granting of permission for the Faringdon Tennis Club. This decision has still to be confirmed by the Secretary of State, but, if given the go ahead, it will be a great boost for sport in Faringdon. Understandably some people are not happy with the siting of the new club, and their views were taken into account along with everyone else’s. The difficulty is that planning decisions must be based on the benefit for the whole community, and in this case the applicants have worked hard and will continue to work to minimise any harm to their new neighbours. Another significant aspect of our work is the Community Grants committee, which met early in September; it has a small pot of cash to award to local groups. These grants often provide vital funding that really can benefit local people. At the last meeting we were pleased to be able to award significant amounts to the Bowling Club, Faringdon Town Football club, and Faringdon Pre-School desperately needs a new building. We hope that we can continue to support these groups and thank them for the work they do for the community in Faringdon. “Berlin Wall”: we would like to report that the district council has resolved to deal with this issue at the highest level and is now negotiating with the Vale Housing Association. This is in response to the petition and campaign organised by Faringdon residents, supported by Robert Jackson and Ed Vaizey.